P>The League of Women Voters supports HB 910, HD1 which would require that members of boards and commissions whose original terms of office are for periods exceeding one year and whose functions are not solely advisory to submit public, rather than confidential, financial interests disclosure statements.
P>We have noticed that in the Senate version of this bill, more boards are listed whose members must make public financial disclosure statements: The Hawaii Community Development Authority, The employees Retirement System, Land Use Commission, Public Utilities Commission, Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. If these boards are entrusted with “significant discretionary and fiscal powers” as the committee Report for SB 1957 suggests, then they should be included. We would also suggest the inclusion of The UH Board of Regents to be consistent with the inclusion of The Board of Education.
P>HB 910, HD1 does differentiate between boards whose members must make the full financial disclosure statements and boards whose members “need not report, where an amount is required to be reported, the actual dollar value of the financial interest or the dollar range of value”. We do not have the detailed knowledge necessary to making such a distinction between boards, or whether there is enough difference to warrant different treatment, but certainly it is something that you might consider. The aim should be to make transparent to the public any potential conflicts of interest on the part of board members, but not to make it unduly burdensome for those whose boards do not present the same potential for conflicts of interest. Thank you.